Two years after the murder of George Floyd by ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, what has changed within U.S. policing?

Activists have been calling for efforts to demilitarize the police and divert funding and resources to other community programs.

U.S. President Joe Biden has stressed he does not intend to 'defund' the police and has pushed legislation such as the pandemic response American Rescue Plan, which included more funding for local law enforcement and public safety.

While Congress has failed to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which addressed some of the concerns of activists, Biden is expected to issue an executive order on police reform in the coming weeks, according to Axios.

That action was previously put on hold in the face of Republican and police pushback.

"The answer is to fund the police with the resources and training they need to protect our communities. Investing in crime prevention and accountable community police officers who walk the beat, who know the neighborhood, and who can restore trust and safety," said Biden during a White House event May 13th.

Local governments have already used about $10 million from the federal American Rescue Plan pandemic aid package toward law enforcement and neighborhood safety programs, according to senior administration officials quoted by CNBC.

The U.S. Justice Department is also investigating local police departments in several cities including Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

An April report by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights outlined a pattern of racial discrimination within the Minneapolis Police Department.

Even before the report was finalized, Minneapolis police began instituting several reform initiatives, including stronger disciplinary action against officers who are involved in misconduct, new requirements for reporting use-of-force incidents and enhanced training.

Following the death of Breonna Taylor in March 2020, the Justice Department has been investigating whether Louisville police use unreasonable force, conduct illegal searches, or engage in other unconstitutional practices.

Police there have since banned use of so-called "no-knock" warrants like the one used to enter Taylor's apartment the night she was killed.

Other departments have also revised policies and designed new officer training programs that focus on impartial practices during traffic stops and arrests.

In the wake of nationwide protests after Floyd's death, several police departments said they would work on improving diversity within their ranks.

The Anchorage Police and Fire Departments were among them, but two years later Anchorage city data show little has changed.

Both departments continue to employ mostly white officers and firefighters and the number of Black, Alaska Native and Asian officers has actually dipped slightly since 2020, according to an analysis by Alaska Public Media.

Anchorage officials blame a tight labor market and recruitment barriers for the lack of progress but say they remain committed to diversifying their workforce.

Other police departments nationwide are also experiencing a decline in recruitment.

As the second anniversary of Floyd's death approaches, police reform remains a key topic for debate and could play an important role in the 2022 midterm elections.

Some social justice advocates want lawmakers to reintroduce the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act yet again.

While the House of Representatives passed the bill along Democrat party lines in both 2020 and again in 2021, it stalled both times in the Senate where it faced Republican opposition.

The Biden administration's 2023 federal funding plan also requests more than $8 billion to fund local law enforcement efforts for community trust building.

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